Alison's Halo was formed in Tempe, Arizona in the fall of 1992 by Catherine Cooper (vocals/guitar), Adam Cooper (guitar), Lynn Anderson (bass) and Alison (the band's battered drum machine). Within months of formation, the band burst onto the local scene by securing coveted slots with other like-minded national and international acts such as The Verve, Ultra Vivid Scene, Curve, The Boo Radleys, Stereophonics, Medicine, Half String, Lovesliescrushing, Bailter Space and many others. The next three years were spent fine-tuning their songs in front of ever-growing crowds. The desire for more propulsion and impact in their live shows led to the addition of Thomas Lancer on drums. Finally, feeling prepared to harness the volume, noise and feedback of their legendary live sets, the band entered their rehearsal room studio and emerged with material that would become their first single.
The Dozen/Calendar 7-inch was co-released by the band and Independent Project Records in early 1995 to wonderful national reviews and extensive college radio airplay. The single's beautiful blend of chiming guitar noise and Catherine's breathtaking melodies perked many an ear and fueled the overwhelming desire for the band to load up the van and head out for a successful string of west coast dates.
During the following years, the band went through a few personnel changes with David Rogers taking on bass duties while Roger Brogan manned the drums. With this "classic" lineup in place, the band appeared on numerous compilations, played countless shows and festivals (CMJ, SXSW, INTEL, etc.) and continued developing their own brand of noisy space-pop. For Eyedazzler, their debut CD release on Burnt Hair in 1998, the group carefully sifted through a mountain of various 2, 4, and 8-track porta-studio cassette recordings, to assemble a stunning collection of songs that properly traced the band’s growth in both songwriting and recording fidelity.
With the resurgence in atmospheric-driven music, Brooklyn's infamous Captured Tracks record label approached the band about reissuing the long out-of-print Eyedazzler album on vinyl. Alison’s Halo are currently recording new material that will appear on an EP later this year; their first recordings in more than 15 years.
untitled (halo)
Los Angeles-based trio untitled (halo) is composed of Jack Dione, Jay Are, and Ariana Mamnoon. Known individually for their sonic, visual, literary, and film contributions, untitled (halo) come together to create a unique sound inspired by and for the hazy culture of Southern California.
Their debut EP towncryer (September 2023) is a visceral, gritty, and sentimental body of songs. Picked up by the likes of NTS Radio, KCRW, and Complex for being one of the best new artists of 2023, the trio received praise for their debut EP, and have sold out shows in Los Angeles and New York, and recently finished up their first European tour, performing at Festivals such as Pitchfork London, Magnetique du Nord Paris, and Le Botanique in Belgium. Their forthcoming EP headbanger (out November 22, 2024) builds upon their nostalgic-youthful storytelling heard in towncryer, yet the band is more evolved now, delivering stronger sentiments and exposing almost all vulnerabilities via their music.
untitled (halo) ultimately captures the dewy-eyed feelings of young adulthood and the resignation in denying extreme emotion.
